Harry ward leonard



(No Model.)

H. W. LEONARD. SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION.

Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

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I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- HARRY IVARD LEONARD, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,208, dated October 11, 1892.

Application filed June 3, 1892. Serial No. 435,357. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY WARD LEONARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Systems of Electrical Distribution, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to systems of electrical distribution which are operated under such circumstances that at times the translat- 1ng devices are cut oil? from the supply of current from the main generator, so that an auxhary source of supply is required; and my lnvention is especially adapted for use in the electric lighting of railway-trains by means of a steam-engine and a dynamo'electric machine placed on the locomotive or in one of the cars and normally supplying current to all the cars of a train. \Vith such an arrangement interruption of the lighting may occur by reason of the temporary breaking of the train or the removal of a car therefrom, or from a failure of the supply of steam or from other causes. It has been attempted to remedy this difficulty by the use of storage-batteries in each car, which were used to supply current to the lamps during the temporary cessation of the supply from the dynamo-electric machine.

The object of my invention is to decrease the number of cells of storage-battery which are required to be used in each car, to enable any battery to be charged with any desired current independently of the others, to furnish a circuit which can be used for other purposes than lighting, such as for operating bells and ventilating-fans, and generally to provide a simple and effective system and arrangement for the purpose mentioned.

My invention is illustrated ,in the accompanying drawing, which is a diagram of a system embodying said invention shown upon two cars of a train.

A is a steam-engine placed in one of the cars and arranged to operate a dynamo-electric machine B. From one terminal of the generator 13 a main conductor 0 extends through all the cars of the train. From the other terminal F there extends a main conductor E, which also passes through all the cars.

D D are third conductors, one on each car.

H H are incandescent electric lamps or other translating devices placed in each of the cars and connected in multiple arc to each other between the main conductor 0 and the third conductor D.

Jis a storage-battery connected between the third conductor D and the main conductor E, A storage-battery J is placed in each of the cars.

K K are other electric lamps in multiple arc to each other, there being some of these lamps in each car, and they being connected in each car between the conductor D and a branch conductor 0, the latter of which is connected with the main conductor E, so that the said lamps K in each car are in multiple arc with the storage-battery J of that car. Connected in multiple are between the main conductor 0 and the third conductorD in each car is an electroanagnet or solenoid L, which controls the operationofacircuit makingand breaking switch M in the line of branch conductor 0.

P represents one or more electric bells connected between the main conductor E and the third conductor D, and Q represents similarly-connected electric ventilating-fans. The switches N are situated so as when closed to cut out or short-circuit the electro-magnetic switches M.

The lamps ll are lamps which require a much higher voltage or potential than the lamps K, and the lamps K are usually fewer in number than the lamps II. For instance, assuming that the main generator B has a difference of potential of one hundred and ten volts, the lamps Il may be constructed to make use of a potential of one hundred and six volts, and the lamps K may be four-volt lamps. The storage-battery J may then be a small battery of two cells of two volts each, since it has only to supply the lamps K, which are of low voltage and small number, they being used only temporarily to furnish a sufticient amount of light when a car is detached from the train or when by accident the supply of current from the main generator is interrupted. V

In the normal or ordinary operation of the system the switches M are all open, being held up by magnets L, which are energized by the current of the main generator B. Such current passes through all the lamps H in multiple arc and all the storage-batteries J, which are in series with said lamps libut in multiple arc with each other. By this arrangement the current due the number of lamps H in any car must necessarily act as a charging current for the storage-battery J of that car in a positive manner and independently of the counter electro-motive force of the battery. In this way the batteries will always be fully charged ready for use, and the difficulty met with when the batteries are in multiple across the same conductors of making the total charging-current divide, so as to properly charge each battery, is entirely avoided and without the necessity of separate charging-conductors from the generator, with the additional couplings necessitated thereby between the cars, and also without the necessity of rheostats orathird set of different electro-motive-force lamps acting as rh eostats. If at any time the current from the generator B is interrupted, either throughout the train or in anyone or more cars thereof, the magnets L immediately lose their energy, and the switch-levers M, which are formed or provided with suitable retracting-springs, are caused to close the circuits of the conductors O, as indicated in the drawings. This closes the circuit of battery I through the lamps K, and these lamps are lighted and areused to illuminate the car until such time as current is again supplied from the main generator B, at which time the magnet L raises the switch M and breaks the circuit of the lamps K. Such lamps are thus extinguished and the main lamps II are brought into operation again. It will be seen that by this arrangement only a small amount of battery is required to be carried on each car and that such batteries are kept fully charged in a positive, simple, and efficient manner. Furthermore, this arrangement provides a low-volt circuit throughout the train, from which electric bells, electric fans, and other instruments and apparatus requiring a current of that character maybe operated, as shown. If desired, both sets of lamps H and K can be operated simultaneously by closing the switch N, so that the conductor 0 is closed independently of the switch M. If the circuit of the storage-battery and iamps K is closed, as at N,the switch L M maybe omitted and the lamps K may be turned on and off individually, and in this case the current charging the battery may be regulated by turning out more or less of the lamps K.

What I claim is 1. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination of the main generator, the main lamps in multiple arc therewith, the low-volt storage-battery in series with the main lamps, and the low-volt lamps in multiple arc with said storage-battery, substantially as set forth.

2. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination of the main generator, the two main conductors extending therefrom, the third conductor, the main lamps connected between one of said main conductors and said third conductor, the low-volt storagebattery connected between the third conductor and the other main conductor, so as to be in series with said main lamps, and the low-volt lamps in multiple arc with said storage-battery, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the main generator, the main lamps, the low-volt storage-battery in series with the main lamps, the low-volt lamps in multiple arc with said storage-battery, and an electro-magnetic switch in the circuit of said low-volt lamps, controlled by the current of the main generator, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the main generator, the two main conductors therefrom, the third conductor, the main lamps connected between one of said main conductors and said third conductor, the low-volt storage-battery connected between the third conductor and the other main conductor, so as to be in series with said main lamps, the low-volt lamps connected between said third conductor and a branch conductor which is in connection with the other main conductor, and an electro-magnetic switch in said branch conductor controlled by the current of the main generator, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the main generator, two or more sets of lamps, the sets and the lamps of each set being in multiple arc to each other, two or more storage-batteries in multiple series with said lamps across the terminals of the generator, and two or more other sets of lamps in multiple are with the storage-batteries, substantially as set forth.

6. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination of the main generator, translating devicesin multiple arc therewith, the lowvolt auxiliary generator in series with the main lamps, and the low-volt translating de vices in multiple arc with said auxiliary generator, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a generator of electricity, two main conductors leading therefrom, and two or more sets of incandescent electric lamps, each set being connected between the main conductors through a storagebattery and each storage-battery having incandescent electric lamps in multiple arc with it, substantially as set forth.

8. In a train-lighting system, the combination of two or more cars, a storage-batteryon each car, incandescent electric lamps in multiple arc with each battery, and other incandescent electric lamps in multiple arc with each other and in series with the storage-battery and its lamps, substantially as set forth.

9. In a train-lighting system, the combination of a generator of electricity, two main conductors extending through the train, and upon This specification signed and witnessed this each car a third conductor having incandes 1stday of June, 1892.

cent electric lamps in multiple are between T it and one of said main conductors and hav- HARE LEONARD ing a storage-battery and incandescent lamps Witnesses:

in multiple are between it and the other main LEWIS BROWN GAWTEY,

conductor, substantiallyas set forth. A. S. VANCE. 

